[By WTF/NBC-1TV H. J Yook]The taekwondo competition at the 1st SportAccord Combat Games was successfully held in Beijing, China on Sept. 2, 2010.

The one-day taekwondo competition of the inaugural event, which featured eight Olympic weight categories and took place at the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium, drew a total of 58 athletes from 26 countries.

Out of the 26 countries, 17 countries won at least one medal at the taekwondo competition, showing an even level of taekwondo techniques among countries.

According to the medal tally in the women’s division, Korea and Chinese Taipei topped other countries as they each won one gold and one bronze medal, followed by Spain and Great Britain with one gold medal each.

In the men’s category, Spain and Iran each won one gold and one silver, topping other nations. Korea and Italy followed with one gold and one bronze each.

In the women’s -57kg weight category, Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Pei Hua outpointed Israel’s Bat-El Gatterer 6-5 in the final match for the gold medal. Tseng, the bronze medal winner at the 2009 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, advanced to the final match as she easily beat his semifinal opponent, Italy’s Veronica Calabrese, 6-3.

The bronze medal in the women’s category went to Italy’s Veronica Calabrese and Egypt’s Mohamed Yasser Hend.

In the men’s -68kg weight division, Korea’s Son Tae-jin beat Iran’s Reza Naderian 6-3 in the final match for the gold medal. Son, the gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, advanced to the final round as he outpointed his semifinal opponent, Balla Dieye from Senegal.

Huang Jiannan of China and Balla Dieye of Senegal grabbed the bronze medal each in the men’s division.

In the women’s -67kg weight category, Korea’s Hwang Kyung-seon easily beat Croatia’s Petra Matijasevic 6-0 in the final match for the gold medal. Hwang, the gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the gold medalist at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships, reached the final match as she brushed aside a stiff challenge from Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chia Chia in the semifinal match.

The bronze medal in the women’s category went to Chuang Chia Chia from Chinese Taipei and Khaoula Ben Hamza from Tunisia.

In the men’s -80kg weight division, Iran’s Masoud Hajizavareh beat Spain’s Nicolas Garcia Hemme 3-2 in the final match for the gold medal. Hajizavareh advanced to the final round as he outpointed 6-5 his semifinal opponent, Mauro Sarmiento from Italy.

Mauro Sarmiento of Italy and Kim Joon-tae of Korea won the bronze medal each in the men’s division.

In the women’s -49kg weight category, Spain’s Brigida Yague Enrique needed a fourth sudden-death round to beat Thailand’s Buttree Puedpong in the final match for the gold medal.

The bronze medal in the women’s category went to China’s Wu Jingyu, the gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and France’s Yasmina Zora Aziez.

In the men’s -58kg weight division, Spain’s Joel Gonzalez Bonilla easily beat Mexico’s Guillermo Perez Sandoval in the final match for the gold medal.

Chutchawal Khawlaor of Thailand and Sherif Shaaban of Egypt took home the bronze medal each in the men’s division.

In the women’s +67kg weight category, Great Britain’s Bianca Michaela Walkden earned her country the first gold medal at the event with a superiority victory over France’s Gwladys Epangue.

The bronze medal in the women’s category went to Korea’s An Sae-bom and Mexico’s Maria del Rosario Espinoza.

In the men’s +80kg weight division, Italy’s Leonardo Basile won the gold medal as he earned the first point in the fourth sudden-death round in the final match against Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov.

China’s Hu Yaxin and Russia’s Roman Kuznetsov grabbed the bronze medal each in the men’s division.

The WTF Taekwondo Presentation Team made three taekwondo demonstrations at the competition venue, drawing big applause from the spectators.

An instant video replay system and an electronic protector and scoring system (PSS) were used at the taekwondo competition.

Competition Results(Taekwodo Competition, 1st SportAccord Combat Games in Beijing, China on September 2, 2010)

☞Women’s -57kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Tseng Pei Hua (Chinese Taipei) ▲Silver : Bat-El Gatterer (Israel) ▲Bronze :Veronica Calabrese (Italy) Mohamed Yasser Hend (Egypt)

☞Men’s -68kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Son Tae-jin (Korea) ▲Silver : Reza Naderian (Iran) ▲Bronze : Huang Jiannan (China) Balla Dieye (Senegal)

☞Women’s -67kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Hwang Kyung-seon (Korea) ▲Silver : Petra Matijasevic (Croatia) ▲Bronze : Chuang Chia Chia (Chinese Taipei) Khaoula Ben Hamza (Tunisia)

☞Men’s -80kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Masoud Hajizavareh (Iran) ▲Silver : Nicolas Garcia Hemme (Spain) ▲Bronze : Mauro Sarmiento (Italy) Kim Joon-tae (Korea)

☞Women’s -49kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Brigida Yague Enrique (Spain) ▲Silver : Buttree Puedpong (Thailand) ▲Bronze : Wu Jingyu (China) Yasmina Zora Aziez (France)

☞Men’s -58kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Joel Gonzalez Bonilla (Spain) ▲Silver : Guillermo Perez Sandoval (Mexico) ▲Bronze : Chutchawal Khawlaor (Thailand) Sherif Shaaban (Egypt)

☞Women’s +67kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Bianca Michaela Walkden (Great Britain) ▲Silver : Gwladys Epangue (France) ▲Bronze : An Sae Bom (Korea) ▲Maria del Rosario Espinoza (Mexico)

☞Men’s +80kg Weight Category ▲Gold : Leonardo Basile (Italy) ▲Silver : Arman Chilmanov (Kazakhstan) ▲Bronze : Hu Yaxin (China) ▲Roman Kuznetsov (Russia)